Daily Current Affairs- 19th November 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 19th November 2025

India Drops 13 Places in Global Climate Change Performance Index 2026

In the News: The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026 revealed that India dropped 13 places to rank 23rd globally, a significant fall from its 10th position in 2025. The report was released at the UN COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, highlighting concerns over India’s coal dependence despite progress in renewable energy.

Key Points:

• Ranking Drop: India slipped from 10th place in 2025 to 23rd in the 2026 CCPI, reflecting a decline in overall climate performance with a score of 61.31.
• Primary Cause: The absence of a national coal exit timeline and continuing auction of new coal blocks were cited as major reasons for the downgrade, marking India’s transition from a “high performer” to a “medium performer.”
• Emission Trends: The report noted rising greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy consumption as critical issues, despite India’s substantial achievements in renewable energy deployment and reaching 50% non-fossil power capacity ahead of the 2030 target.
• Policy and Programs: India has implemented ambitious renewable energy targets and efficiency programs, including the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism and Bureau of Energy Efficiency appliance labelling, signaling a long-term climate strategy.
• Challenges: Continued fossil fuel subsidies, infrastructure lock-ins, and social challenges in renewable projects were highlighted, alongside the need for a just transition plan involving vulnerable communities.
• Global Context: No country met all criteria to prevent dangerous climate change, leaving the top three CCPI ranks vacant. Denmark, the UK, and Morocco held the highest ranks among assessed nations.

President of India Presents Sixth National Water Awards

In the News: President Droupadi Murmu presented the Sixth National Water Awards at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The awards honor outstanding contributions in water conservation and management across India, recognizing individuals, institutions, and governmental bodies.

Key Points:

• Award Ceremony: The President of India conferred the Sixth National Water Awards, 2024, along with Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards, celebrating exemplary efforts in water conservation.
• Number of Winners: A total of 46 winners, including joint awardees, were recognized across 10 categories such as Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best School or College, Best Industry, Best Water User Association, Best Institution (other than school or college), Best Civil Society, and Best Individual for excellence in the water sector.
• Top Awardees: Maharashtra won the best state award, followed by Gujarat in second place and Haryana in third. Telangana was recognized as the best performing state/UT in the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari category.
• Other Winners: Key awardees included Navi Mumbai (Best Urban Local Body), various districts like Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) and Khargone (Madhya Pradesh), and institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar and ICAR – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa.

India Launches AMR 2.0, A Major Push to Combat Drug-Resistant Infections

In the News: Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2.0 in New Delhi, marking a renewed five-year initiative (2025–2029) aimed at combating the rising threat of drug-resistant infections across India. The launch coincided with the World AMR Awareness Week.

Key Points:

• Plan Launch: AMR 2.0 is the updated version of India’s first National Action Plan on AMR (2017–2021), developed with extensive stakeholder consultations and aligned with global AMR frameworks like the WHO Global Action Plan and the One Health approach.
• Objectives: The plan focuses on addressing implementation gaps of the previous strategy, increasing accountability, strengthening coordination among health, animal, environment sectors, and engaging the private sector in antimicrobial stewardship.
• Multi-sectoral Approach: Over 20 ministries participated in forming the plan, which includes specific action plans, timelines, and budgets for each, ensuring clear ownership and coordination across human health, animal health, agriculture, and environment sectors.
• Key Strategies: Emphasis on rational antibiotic use, surveillance of resistance trends, laboratory capacity enhancement, infection prevention, public awareness, education, and training, and regulatory frameworks to curtail misuse of antibiotics.
• Challenges Addressed: Overuse and misuse of antibiotics, lack of awareness, coordination gaps, and infrastructure limitations in healthcare and agricultural settings.
• Innovation and Collaboration: Establishment of the India AMR Innovation Hub to foster technology development, resource mobilization, and cross-sector collaboration.

“Parasocial” Named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2025

In the News: Cambridge Dictionary named "parasocial" as its Word of the Year 2025, highlighting the growing cultural phenomenon of one-sided relationships formed between individuals and celebrities, influencers, fictional characters, or AI entities. The term has gained mainstream relevance as social media and AI shape new modes of human connection.

Key Points:

• Word of the Year: "Parasocial" was chosen for its reflection of how millions of people experience intense emotional bonds with people or personalities they have never met, such as influencers, pop stars, or AI chatbots.
• Definition: Cambridge Dictionary defines parasocial as relating to a connection that someone feels with a famous person, fictional character, or AI despite having no real interaction with them.
• Cultural Context: The word captures the 2025 zeitgeist where parasocial relationships influence fandom, loyalty, and trust, sometimes leading to extreme emotional engagement or unhealthy dependencies.
• Influence of AI: The rise of AI chatbots has expanded parasocial dynamics, with users treating AI companions as friends or confidants, raising new questions about emotional wellbeing and social interaction.
• Historical Roots and Modern Usage: First coined in 1956 by sociologists studying TV viewers’ engagement with on-screen personalities, parasocial relationships have evolved with digital media and intensified through platforms like TikTok, podcasts, and streaming services.
• Academic Insight: Experts highlight that parasocial ties can replace some real social connections and affect how people perceive trust and authority in media figures or influencers.
• Language Evolution: Once an academic term, "parasocial" became mainstream, reflecting a shift in language linked to societal and technological changes. Other AI-related words and internet slang also entered the Cambridge Dictionary in 2025.

Google Launches Gemini 3: The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet

In the News: Google officially launched Gemini 3, its most intelligent and powerful AI model developed by Google DeepMind. Gemini 3 marks a significant advancement in artificial intelligence, integrating state-of-the-art reasoning, multimodal understanding, and agentic capabilities to deliver unprecedented problem-solving and creative potential.

Key Points:

• Model Launch: Gemini 3 is the latest iteration in Google’s Gemini AI series, combining advanced reasoning and multimodal skills (text, image, video, audio, code) into a unified system available across Google Search, the Gemini app, AI Studio, Vertex AI, and the new Google Antigravity platform.
• Superior Reasoning: The model demonstrates PhD-level reasoning and deep understanding, achieving top benchmark scores such as 1501 Elo on LMArena, 93.8% on GPQA Diamond, and 45.1% on ARC-AGI-2 with code execution capabilities.
• Deep Think Mode: Gemini 3 Deep Think is an enhanced reasoning variant that further elevates the AI’s performance in solving novel and complex problems, soon to be available to Google AI Ultra subscribers.
• Developer Tools & Integration: Gemini 3 supports agentic coding for building immersive apps, 3D games, and full-stack tools using natural language prompts, with integrations on third-party platforms like GitHub, Replit, and JetBrains.
• Practical Uses: The model excels in real-life planning tasks, such as booking appointments, managing schedules, and conducting multi-step autonomous tasks under user guidance.
• Safety and Security: Google deployed extensive safety frameworks, collaborating with global experts to mitigate risks including prompt injection attacks, biases, and misuse.
• Availability: Gemini 3 is available immediately to users through Google AI products, developers via APIs and CLI tools, and enterprises through Vertex AI, marking a new era of AI accessibility and intelligence.

QS World University Sustainability Rankings 2026

In the News: QS released the World University Sustainability Rankings 2026, assessing over 700 universities worldwide on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts. The rankings highlight higher education institutions' contributions toward sustainable development goals and their real-world impact on society and the planet.

Key Points:

• Ranking Focus: QS Sustainability Rankings evaluate universities based on their environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance practices, reflecting their role as educators, researchers, and employers committed to sustainability.
• Assessment Categories: The rankings use eight key indicators grouped under Environmental Impact (sustainable institutions, sustainable education, sustainable research) and Social Impact (equality, knowledge exchange, educational impact, employability & opportunities, quality of life).
• Environmental Indicators: These measure a university’s climate action commitments, research on sustainability topics, availability of courses with embedded climate science, and the presence of student societies promoting environmental awareness.
• Social Indicators: These assess equality, collaboration with less economically developed institutions, research on education quality, employability of graduates, and overall quality of life including campus health and regional air quality.
• Eligibility and Inclusion: Institutions must have measurable research impact on at least some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to environmental and social areas to be considered.
• Indian Universities: Over 100 Indian institutions, including IITs and central universities, featured in the 2026 rankings, reflecting growing awareness and efforts toward sustainability in Indian higher education.

Leonardo DiCaprio to Receive Desert Palm Achievement Award

In the News: Leonardo DiCaprio will be honoured with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, at the Palm Springs International Film Awards held at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The award recognizes his outstanding performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film "One Battle After Another" and his enduring contribution to the film industry.

Key Points:

• Award Recognition: The Desert Palm Achievement Award is bestowed to actors in recognition of their exceptional body of work and influence in the entertainment industry, often preceding Oscar wins or nominations.
• Recent Performance: DiCaprio’s role in "One Battle After Another" has been praised for its emotional intensity, portraying a man confronting his troubled past while searching for his missing daughter.
• Festival Details: The Palm Springs International Film Festival will take place from January 2 to 12, 2026, with DiCaprio’s award being a highlight of the Film Awards event.
• Previous Honorees: Past recipients include notable actors such as Jeff Bridges, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brad Pitt, and Eddie Redmayne, reflecting the award’s prestige in Hollywood.
• Environmental Engagement: Beyond acting, DiCaprio is an environmental activist, co-founder of the production company Appian Way which produces nature-focused documentaries, and a board member of Re:wild, focusing on global conservation efforts.
• Legacy: Leonardo DiCaprio has been acclaimed for a diverse filmography across three decades, earning numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Actor for "The Revenant" (2015).

Zimbabwe and Namibia will jointly host the 2026 U-19 Cricket World Cup

In the News: Zimbabwe and Namibia will jointly host the 2026 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, marking the first time the tournament is co-hosted by two African nations. The event will take place from January 15 to February 6, 2026, with matches split between key venues in both countries.​

Key Points:

• Tournament Hosts: Zimbabwe and Namibia have been selected by the ICC to co-host the 16th edition of the U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, showcasing southern Africa as an emerging hub for global cricket events.​
• Event Schedule: The tournament will run from January 15 to February 6, 2026, giving teams over three weeks of competition across league, Super Six, and knockout stages.​
• Participating Teams: A total of 16 teams will compete, including automatic qualifiers from the previous edition, hosts Zimbabwe, and regional qualifiers from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and East Asia-Pacific.​
• Match Venues: In Zimbabwe, games will be held at Harare Sports Club, Takashinga Sports Club, and Queens Sports Club, while Namibia will host matches at Namibia Cricket Ground and HP Oval in Windhoek.​
• Format and Progression: Teams will be divided into four groups, with sides advancing to a Super Six stage followed by semi-finals and a final, maintaining the ICC’s standard under-19 World Cup structure.​